Salida to Durango Self-Guided

TOUR DESCRIPTION

The Colorado Trail needs no introduction. Stretching 500 miles from Denver to Durango it’s a true national treasure. Our 4-day Molas Pass to Durango trip is one of our most popular, but for years we’ve dreamed a little bigger. Well here it is: Salida to Durango; the best Colorado Trail mountain biking adventure we’ve ever created. 200+ miles over 10 days (one rest day) through some of the most spectacular sections The Colorado Trail has to offer.

It’s like a Colorado Trail mountain biking greatest hits album: Raspberry Gulch, South Fooses Creek, Monarch Crest, Molas Pass, Blackhawk Pass and Kennebec Pass. We don’t know how else to say it: this is a trip of a lifetime.

We created this Colorado Trail mountain biking trip for those who don’t want a guide, don’t want to be supported during the week and generally just want their own self-serve adventure with a bit of logistical assistance. Each day we relocate a very deluxe camp setup (provided by Ready Camp) of (2) 10×10 canopies, full kitchen, dry firewood, camp chairs, fresh water, coolers of food and beverages (you purchase prior to trip) and all your personal gear like tents, bags and clothing. You can go as cheap or deluxe as you want on food, beverages and amenities!!

After shuttling from Durango the night before, we’ll depart the hotel in Salida bright and early at 7:30am to the Mount Princeton Hot Springs. From here you have a short ride to the Chalk Creek trailhead and onto the Colorado Trail. This first segment travels through the southern end of the Sawatch Range…

Day Two:

Day two is a stout undertaking, so we always suggest an early start this day. After retracing your steps up US 50 a few miles you’ll rejoin the trail as it climbs up South Fooses Creek toward the Monarch Crest and the Continental Divide.

Day Three:

Day three is the longest of our trip mileage-wise so another early start is in order. Riding away from our Sargents Mesa camp you’ll snake around the Baldy Peaks: Long Branch Baldy, Middle baldy and West Baldy all just under 12,000’ in height.

Day Four:

The dirt road bypass jamboree continues today as you bisect the Powderhorn Wilderness and La Garita Wilderness by county roads as you head toward Lake City, CO. The riding itself is a pedestrian, but we’ve found people enjoy the easier pedaling and the views are excellent.

Day Five:

Day Five is basically two sections: the climb up to Cinnamon Pass (elevation 12,640’) and then the long descent down the other side into Silverton, CO. You’re now entering the most rugged range in all of Colorado: the San Juan Mountains…

Day Six:

LAYOVER/REST DAY in Silverton, CO. Kick your legs up, stay in a motel and do your grocery shopping for the final four days of your trip.

Day Seven:

We’ll meet up early in Silverton at 7:30am to get packed back up and shuttle you to Molas Pass, the launching point of today’s ride. Even the drive is gorgeous today as we cruise the San Juan Skyway!! Setting off at nearly 11,000 feet on the Colorado Trail…

Day Eight:

From your camp at Cascade Divide Rd a short ride will deposit you at Celebration Lake near historic Graysill Mine, where you’ll start with a short climb up the Colorado Trail featuring long views south of the Animas Valley and the La Plata Mountains

Day Nine:

Day nine is typically sited as the hardest of your 4-day journey back to Durango. The payoff? It’s also frequently sited as the most beautiful, and without a doubt, the most remote. The day starts with a rolling traverse with long views back toward the Hermosa Creek drainage and even as far as the Weminuche Wilderness.

Day Ten:

The final ride starts at the Champion Venture Road crossing, where the downhill bonanza continues through thick, forested singletrack, past a gorgeous waterfall and finally onto the rocky singletrack cutting through the lush vegetation alongside Junction Creek.